It’s always great to hear how Outschool is helping home educating families. This week we spoke to Sue, who has always unschooled her 2 children, “H” and “L”.
Can you tell us who’s in your family?
It’s myself, my lovely husband and our two children- “H” has just turned 14 (where did the time go?!) and “L” is 11.
What do you and your family enjoy doing together?
We love spending time together at home and we each have our favourite hobbies. H has always loved Lego- we are looking forward to moving house as there will be a lot more room for all the Lego storage and completed models! H is also into science, particularly space- who knew a 14 year old would be chatting about astrophysics over breakfast? L is a real crafter; she is always coming up with new ideas for stop motions and there is always a pair of scissors, Pritt stick and origami creations in her bedroom. My husband is a gamer, and I’ll enjoy everything from Sudoku to 1000-piece puzzles and making mosaics!
How did you start home educating?
I previously worked in as a teacher, specialising in children who need extra support, and although I had some fantastic experiences (teaching on a remote island off the north coast of Australia for example) I very much felt that the school system simply isn’t set up for many children, especially those who need extra support. I started researching and discovered prominent unschoolers such as Sandra Dodd, Joyce Fetteroll as well as authors and educators such as Alfie Kohn and John Holt. When the children were very young we started meeting local home educators and never looked back!
What style of home educators are you?
We are unschoolers, so the principles of autonomy and intrinsic motivation are very important to us. H and L choose how they spend their days, which looks like them engaging in everything from museum visits to watching Youtube tutorials and documentaries, doing art and Lego, cooking and travelling. We travelled for a year and did worldschooling and we are currently in Australia for a month visiting family - so the kids are experiencing a completely different learning environment!
How did you come to Outschool?
I’d heard of children who lived on ranches in the Outback using various online schools and classes, and Outschool was one of them. My son and I looked on Outschool years ago and found some classes he thought he’d enjoy, and it was a hit straight away.
What’s your favourite thing about being an Outschooler?
I love that so much of what’s on Outschool isn’t offered in schools- or if it is, it’s restricted to a certain age range. I love that H can do classes that would be extremely advanced for his age, but he’s so passionate about the subject (Space for example) that it would be a shame for him to have to wait to find out about it. I think it’s great that the classes are mixed ages too; that’s one of the things I appreciate about home education as a
whole.
What’s been your child’s favourite class so far?
It’s hard to pick - but there was a molecular gastronomy class last year where H learned how to make edible bubbles from juice and some other ingredients. That’s something we probably would never have thought to do, and it was so much fun. The teacher was also brilliant, very patient and gave all of the kids time to do each step- this is something we’ve noticed as a real positive in the Outschool classes.
If you could take a class on Outschool, which one would you enrol in?
Hmm- maybe one of the Sudoku social classes, or maybe one of the art lessons with mixed media? Something that I can do at my crafting table with a cup of tea!
If you could give a new home educator one piece of advice, what would it be?
My main piece of advice would be to prioritise the relationship between you and your children. At the end of the day, mental health is such an impactful thing that will either help or hinder your child in every area of their life. Having a good, trusting relationship where your child knows they can come to you with anything is essential.
Thank you Sue for sharing your Outschooling and home education tips and experience with us!
